


Sustenance

by violetmessages



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Pre-Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:48:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26297434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetmessages/pseuds/violetmessages
Summary: Javic loves a lot of things. He loves playing cricket with his father, he loves listening to his mother sing to him, and he loves to swim in the ocean with Gray and the rest of his cousins when the sky is a rich black and the night breeze flows over him gently.But, mostly, he loves cooking with his family.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12
Collections: Torchwood Fan Fests: Bingo Fest 2020





	Sustenance

**Author's Note:**

> All the foods mentioned are traditional Levant foods. Based on the MINUSCULE evidence we have, I think the relative climate looks like it would be about the same, so I decided to use real food instead of making anything up. I apologize in advance for any mistakes. There is a glossary at the end. 
> 
> Thank you so much for ilikestopwatches for beta-ing!

Javic loves a lot of things. He loves playing cricket with his father, he loves listening to his mother sing to him, and he loves to swim in the ocean with Gray and the rest of his cousins when the sky is a rich black and the night breeze flows over him gently. But, mostly, he loves cooking with his family. 

Every morning Javic helps his mother and father make food for their family. He holds the serving bowl steady for his mother to spoon in creamy labneh and drizzle on olive oil. He’s proud that he’s old enough to sprinkle on the za'atar and sesame seeds himself; proud that his mother trusts him not to spill the fragrant spices. 

After that, his mother starts to boil water for coffee so he goes to help his father with the manakish. His father has already made the flatbread dough, so all Javic has to do is roll the dough into little balls for his father to press flat and cover in akkawi, chilli powder, and spinach. He always asks his father if he can make the manakish without spinach, but his father only laughs at him and reminds him to eat his vegetables. He’s been told a hundred times that he’ll grow to like them, but it hasn’t happened yet, and he's doubtful that it ever will.

His _Mez_ , his aunt, helps him carry the rolled out flatbreads outside to the huge flat pan over the roaring fire that his _Mezi_ , his uncle, is poking with a stick. His other _Mez_ takes the flatbreads from them one by one, and tosses them onto the pan. He’s not allowed to go near the fire yet, but his _Mez_ assures him that he’ll soon grow old enough to help them bake the manakish. Anyway, she reminds him, he’s the only one out of his cousins old enough to help out with the cooking. 

Javic can hear his mother tell Gray and his other cousins to go fill up their baskets with olives, cucumbers, and tomatoes and he’s so happy that he doesn’t have to go with them. He remembers when he had to go pick vegetables instead of cooking because he was too young. He schools his face into a neutral expression, but inwardly he’s jumping with secret pride and glee. 

He walks back into the large kitchen area and sees his mother carrying the limonana and coffee into the main room. His cousins Lilita and Mether are helping another Mezi bring in plates and cups. Javic is technically supposed to help them, but decides to wander back into the kitchen to see what his father is doing.

His father, it seems, is cutting cucumbers. He holds the knife steady as he slices through, cutting it into small cubes. Javic takes the spare knife and picks up a cucumber. Haltingly, he follows the motions that his father is making, albeit slowly, and cuts into the cucumber. When he reaches the end, he accidentally slices through his hand and shouts in pain. 

His father moves into action immediately. He takes the small tube of nanogenes and opens them up. The glowing gold swarm surrounds the cut and heals it almost instantaneously, then goes back into the tube. His father screws the tube shut, and brings Javic’s hand up to his lips, pressing a quick kiss on it for “good luck”. 

It’s finally time to eat when one of his Mez walks in and informs them. They walk into the main room and Javic takes a little of almost everything, the manakish, the labneh, fried eggs, and olives. His mother sees his plate and makes him eat some malfouf salad. He hates cabbage but she piles it onto his plate anyway. He chokes it down first, remembering that he is not allowed to waste food, but wanting the taste of cabbage to leave his mouth immediately. 

After breakfast he runs off to play with Gray and Lilita and Mether and the rest of his cousins. The grownups don’t bother them until the sky turns a bright pink and it’s time to make dinner. Gray and the cousins are immediately sent off to pick more vegetables, but Javic, the eldest, is allowed to cook. 

He takes the heavy pestle and grinds up garlic to make toum. His mother supervises him while cooking rice and meat. He asks her what she’s making, and he is ecstatic when he learns that it’s kabsa. He’s less happy when he sees his Mezi mixing sumac and tahina. That means he’ll have to eat sumaghiyyeh, which means more vegetables. 

It takes him forever to make toum, and by the time he’s done, the sky is a fiery orange and dinner is ready. Javic is mad that he didn’t get to do anything else, but he can always help tomorrow. He shovels tabbouleh into his mouth, and scoops up sumaghiyyeh with a piece of markook bread. He mixes up a little toum with the kabsa and savours the flavours. Finally, he scarfs down zalabia, and licks off the sticky sweet syrup that clings to his hands. 

It’s been an excellent day, filled with fun and cooking and love. Javic can think of no better place to be than here, surrounded by his family and eating the feast he helped prepare. I’ll never leave Boeshane, he thinks. Why would I?

**Author's Note:**

> Labneh: Yogurt that has been strained to remove most of its whey, resulting in a thicker consistency.
> 
> Za’atar: A spice mixture that typically includes ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, and dried sumac mixed with toasted sesame seeds, and salt. 
> 
> Manakish: A flatbread topped with thyme, cheese, spinach, or ground meat that is traditionally eaten for breakfast. 
> 
> Akkawi: A white brine cheese.
> 
> Limonana: Lemonade flavored with mint. 
> 
> Malfouf Salad: Salad made of shredded cabbage, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and dried mint.
> 
> Toum: A garlic sauce. 
> 
> Kabsa: A mixed rice and meat dish. 
> 
> Sumac: A dried spice. 
> 
> Tahina: Sesame seed paste. 
> 
> Sumaghiyyeh: A stew made of sumac, beef, chard, and garbanzo beans. 
> 
> Markook bread: A flatbread similar to pita bread.
> 
> Zalabia: Deep fried flour batter soaked in sugar syrup.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Kudos/Comments are appreciated.
> 
> Find me on tumblr [here](https://violetmessages.tumblr.com/)


End file.
